The dire situation in Yemen has worsened. But hundreds of thousands of people are still protesting in towns across the country over Israel's bombing of Gaza, while their own suffering continues in virtual silence.
yemenOne of the world's poorest countries has found itself thrust into the center of war. Gaza.
As if that wasn't unlikely enough, Houthi armed forces They control most of Yemen's population through a combination of force, fear, and large-scale outside aid. Iranis now considered a hero by many.
The Houthis' actions, which have wreaked havoc on global shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, have given them a surge in popularity at home and unexpected influence and prestige abroad.
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So when I interviewed one of the group's top aides, a cousin of Houthi leader Mohammed al-Houthi in Yemen this week, he was all smiles.
“The whole world is with the Houthis,” he told me from his base in the capital, Sanaa. “They understand that we are the only ones working on this problem.” Israel And to protect our brothers and sisters in Palestine. ”
Indeed, the Houthi attacks on shipping lanes off the coast of Yemen have greatly refocused the attention of many political and global businesses, but it is the heavily armed Iranian-backed forces that currently appear to have the upper hand. He is an extremist.
A parade of Houthi recruits shows support for the Palestinians in Sanaa, Yemen.Photo: Reuters
Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, has already warned that the situation could push Yemen back into a new cycle of war.
“What happens in the region affects Yemen, and what happens in Yemen can affect the region,” he told the UN Security Council last month (March 15). .
And while the international attention the Houthi attacks have garnered seems to have further agitated the militants, the international community appears powerless to stop them.
US and UK military attacks on Houthi bases In the north, armed groups have been unable to stop attacks on ships.
The longer this situation drags on, the more difficult negotiations for a lasting peace in the country will become, Grundberg told the UN. “We're more likely to change our calculations and change our plans.” their negotiation agenda. ”
And Houthi leaders appear to be well aware of this, with Mohammed al-Houthi telling Sky News: “Yemen is not the same as it was in 2015. We have the weapons and the capabilities. , I have goals and I have abilities.” He is clearly referring to the money and ammunition built up with Iranian support.
He went on to vow to continue his attacks on shipping.
“If they don't stop the blockade on Gaza and the genocide against Gaza, we may be in for a surprise ourselves,” he added.
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Most Yemenis already tend to support Palestinian rights, but that support has reached new levels in the face of Israel's military operation inside the Gaza Strip, which has entered its sixth month.
Since November, international cargo ships have been forced to reroute due to repeated missile and drone attacks by Houthi militants.
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Who are the Houthis?
Longer and more expensive journeys around the Cape of Good Hope, avoiding the Red Sea, raised the prices of goods everywhere.
As a result, the poorest countries with the poorest populations are the most severely affected.
That includes Yemen.
A Houthi supporter holds a rocket launcher next to a statue of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship.Photo: Reuters
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Babies grow weaker as hunger crisis deepens
We were at a bread distribution site in Aden and saw lines of hungry children and families lining up for free food.
For many people, an already difficult situation has become even more dire.
Ordinary people in Yemen lack bread
People collecting food during food shortage in Yemen
“Many more people are food insecure, and even more are water insecure,” said one doctor.
“And it's going to take more than INGOs (charities) to bridge the gap in what's happening here.”
Next to the logistics hub, a dilapidated shantytown has grown up in recent years.
It's a hodgepodge of wood, corrugated boards, discarded fabric, and torn tents hammered together to create a shelter for hundreds of people displaced by precarious situations old and new.
One resident said: “All the residents are suffering. They are living hand to mouth… Some are begging, selling scrap, borrowing money… But it's very difficult. ” he said.
Inside one of Yemen's temporary shelters
long lines for food
Doctors at Al-Sadaqa Hospital in Aden are despairing of the growing number of hungry children being brought in.
Dr. Mohammed Raje directs us to the malnutrition ward, where he says he has just admitted three more babies overnight.
“We're seeing an increase in the number of babies needing help,” he says. The problem of hunger appears to be getting worse.
Women and children living in one of Yemen's conflict zones
Some of the wards we enter have young people who are sick and malnourished. But one ward stands out to us.
Side by side in an adjoining hospital bed are two small babies struggling to stay in this world, cared for by nursing staff who are not at all sure they will succeed.
Baby lying in a hospital in Yemen
Weigh your baby at the hospital
Both babies are painfully thin, with protruding ribs. A swollen belly and folds of extra wrinkled skin hanging from small, stick-like limbs.
Both are exhausted from lack of food.
Their mother is unable to feed them as they themselves are hungry and malnourished.
Their father does not earn enough to support the adults and children in the family.
The fight to save these babies is Dr. Raje's most difficult task.
“Every day, the number of cases of diarrhea and malnutrition is increasing,” he says. “When we have infections and diarrhea, we fear for them. We could lose them at any moment.”
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There is little sign that the airstrikes will deter the Houthis.
Path to peace in Gaza still missing key elements
Yemen on the brink of collapse
Yemen is facing near economic collapse.
With more than half of the country without access to clean water and currently facing a new cholera outbreak, fragile health systems are under great strain.
An emergency isolation tent has been set up on the premises of Al-Sadaqa Hospital to deal with the expected influx of cholera patients and additional numbers.
“Sick people are coming from all over Yemen,” said Dr. Saleh Dobahi.
This is particularly worrying because it suggests there are several sources of the disease across the country.
“It's because of water scarcity, poverty, sewage that affects food. The Yemeni people are poor,” he added. “And this time it appears to be a different strain of cholera, which is more potent. It's very worrying.”
Dr. Saleh Dobahi
The civil war has taken a toll on Yemen, turning the country into one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.
However, further tensions caused by the regional effects of the Gaza war could be devastating.
“First of all, the country is divided and has all kinds of problems, including inflation,” Dr. Dobahi said. “We are at war…and now we have another foreign war…so not only within Yemen, but also outside Yemen.
“All of these things affect our lives, and they also affect our health…the health of our people.”
alex crawford Reporting from Yemen with cameraman Jake Britton, specialist producer Chris Cunningham and Yemeni producer Ahmed Bayder
